Page 33 of Full Court Crush
She set an alarm on her phone and turned off her own light. Lying back on the bed, she stared at the ceiling. She could just make out the pattern in the plaster as the glow of a nearby streetlight highlighted its contours.
A while later, just as Keira’s mind drifted as it does just before sleep, she heard sniffing coming from the other half of the bed. She wordlessly rolled onto her side and placed what she hoped was a reassuring hand on Amelia’s waist. Amelia tensed up again, just for a moment, then she relaxed under Keira’s touch. A few seconds after that, Amelia’s uncertain fingers clasped her own. Sleep came easily after that.
Chapter 11
Amelia
Acoupleofweekslater, Amelia stood by the gates to Cardiff Winter Wonderland, hopping from foot to foot, partly to keep warm, and partly to do something with her anxious energy. She hadn’t had many opportunities to speak to Keira since their away game in Durham. Because of her shifts, she’d either missed training or been rushing to or from the hospital. She wondered if she was subconsciously avoiding her. The morning of their game, she’d woken up on her back, with Keira’s arm draped across her stomach. It had simultaneously seemed too familiar and like finally coming home; finally finding somewhere warm to rest. She could barely remember the game, other than they’d lost, again, as if her entire consciousness had been taken up by that moment.
The Winter Wonderland had become a bit of a team tradition after their first social event there many years ago. It was hard to worry about how the season was going when surrounded by music, pretty lights, and delicious scents of food. Despite that, Amelia still hesitated about agreeing to go this year, despite having never missed a Blizzards Wonderland trip since they started. Keira’s presence will force her to face her growing feelings. The thought reignited the butterflies in Amelia’s stomach.
The team had planned to meet outside the entrance to the Winter Wonderland, and Amelia had been the first to arrive. She paced as she continued to sort her thoughts.
The sound of shoes on the pavement lifted her gaze. Keira walked towards her, and her heart started to flutter.
“Hi.” Keira stopped a few feet away.
“Hi.” Amelia smiled nervously.
“So… how’re you?”
Scared. Overwhelmed. Ridiculously attracted to you.
“I’m good, thanks. Tired from work.”
“Yeah, you’ve been working a lot recently, right?”
Evie and Sienna’s arrival saved Amelia from answering. Evie made eye contact with Amelia and then looked pointedly between her and Keira. Amelia blushed and looked away. Lucy and Asha arrived next, rounding the corner, traces of laughter on their faces.
“What’s up, Party People!” Lucy announced as she got closer. She bounded towards them, with Asha a few steps behind.
Keira caught Amelia’s attention and playfully rolled her eyes; Amelia chuckled.
The small group chatted about their various plans for Christmas while they waited for the others to arrive, before heading inside. There were only ten of them this year, since two players had made other plans. Amelia, walking next to Evie, noticed that Keira trailed behind as the team’s long-standing friendships naturally grouped them together, leaving her on her own. Even Sienna, who was as new to the team as Keira, was Lucy’s one-man entourage. Evie looked sideways at Amelia, and Amelia expected her to say something, but she pressed her lips tightly together instead, as if she didn’t trust herself to speak.
Their first activity was the only pre-booked activity; ice skating. Amelia hadn’t been ice-skating since the same trip last year and was a little nervous. But if she was nervous, Keira, who stood in front of her in line, looked positively terrified. They were waiting, shoes in hand, to trade them in for ice skates, and Keira was almost compulsively fiddling with her shoelaces while rocking onto the balls of her feet and back. Amelia leant forward and spoke quietly, so no one else would hear.
“Are you okay?”
Keira jumped so severely she nearly head-butted Amelia.
“Sorry,” she said, half turning to Amelia. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she said, but the twitchiness of her fingers gave her away.
“It’s okay to be anxious. And I’m speaking from experience there, as you know,” Amelia said quietly, adding what she hoped was a reassuring smile. Keira smiled and opened her mouth to speak. Her body language suggested she was about to deny it. Then she met Amelia’s gaze and sighed. Her shoulders sagged, and the smile disappeared from her face.
“I’ve never been ice skating before,” she admitted.
“So?”
“I’m going to be terrible and make a fool of myself in front of everyone.” Keira’s words rushed out in a whisper, and she glanced around at the others. Amelia’s heart ached for her.
“You might do better than you think, and if you don’t, that’s okay, too. Someone once told me that you don’t have to be perfect at everything, you know,” Amelia repeated Keira’s words back to her and made her tone light and joking. The effort earned her a smile, but Keira did not seem to quell Keira’s obvious anxiety.
“But—”
One of the teenagers behind the counter loudly shouted, “Next!”
Keira took one last look at Amelia, some kind of plea written across her face, then weaved through, around other people already exchanging their shoes for skates, to the free attendant. When she glanced back at Amelia, she gave her a double thumbs up. When Keira engaged with the young man, Amelia mentally kicked herself.Thumbs up? Really?